Bengaluru-based space-tech company SatLeo Labs is preparing to launch TAPAS-1, a thermal-imaging payload designed to capture thermal infrared data from orbit. The payload is scheduled to fly aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 as part of the Transporter-18 rideshare mission.
TAPAS-1 is designed to observe thermal infrared radiation from Earth's surface. Unlike conventional optical imaging, thermal imaging can detect differences in temperature, allowing useful information to be collected even when visible-light imagery is limited.
The payload is aimed at applications including agriculture, climate monitoring, disaster management and environmental observation. Thermal data can help identify temperature variations across land and potentially provide additional information for monitoring crops, water stress and other environmental conditions.
SatLeo Labs describes TAPAS-1 as an important step toward developing commercial thermal-imaging capabilities from orbit. The company plans to use the mission to demonstrate its technology and gather thermal data for future applications.
The payload is scheduled to launch as part of SpaceX's Transporter-18 rideshare mission, which carries multiple spacecraft and payloads into orbit.
The mission is part of a broader expansion of India's private space sector, with startups increasingly developing satellite technologies and Earth-observation systems for commercial applications.
If successful, TAPAS-1 could provide SatLeo Labs with an orbital platform for developing future thermal-imaging services and datasets.
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